Session 10 - Putting the Ghost to Rest

Key Points:

• With Nerva captured, the group headed back into Raske...
• Raske was a ghost town, deserted by the populace when Kembu warned Sheriff Oku of the dragon.
• The group found Vesper Klein at the north gate of the town. There, she was spinning around a lamp post, singing along with a song coming from a nearby radio.
• Roan took the time to fill up the truck at the gas station.
• Meeting with Klein, she offered the group payment in exchange for giving them Nerva. She claimed that Nerva could do the world good by being studied. Klein hoped to learn how to harness Nerva's ability to contain copious amounts of mana radiation and survive, as well as other things about him.
• Everyone had different opinions on this. Roan wanted Nerva dead. Del wanted to see the town handle Nerva. Managirl wanted to side with Klein. Trajan wanted to side with Klein, but he didn't want to see Nerva hurt and he wanted to see an independent prison built for mana-riched individuals (he also hoped to learn what Nerva knew about dragons). Kembu had his reservations about it, but agreed that Klein should take him, under the condition that Nerva is used to help people and that one day, he is euthanized. In the end, it was voted upon that the group would accept Klein's deal.

• The group learned several facts about Klein...
• She is an ex-employee of the Genesis Corporation.
• She is entirely self-funded, obtaining her wealth by offering her expertise to the highest bidder looking for a mad doctor on the black market.
• She knows how to speak every known language.
• Klein's father pushed education and his own personal agendas upon her when she was growing up while her mother provided her with emotional support and told her stories.
•  She often stares at people when thinking. Amongst the group, she enjoys staring at Roan the most, but will settle for Kembu.
• Her trailer contains a makeshift lab that is covered in plastic. She has a wall covered in tools, then another wall covered in cabinets that are locked. In the middle, there is a table suitable to hold a person on.

• Roan, Kembu, and Klein left in the truck...
• The trio were able to put Nerva in the trailer, restrain him, and put him into a medically induced coma.
• Klein ran experiments and tests on Nerva for the rest of the time.
• Kembu rested in the truck, while Roan wandered into town and found a place for himself to rest.

• Managirl, Trajan, and Del went to the secret bunker in Raske...
• There, they found the townspeople had been hold up in the bunker for their own protection.
• The bunker was funded by the Raske family for the protection of the town. It is high-quality stuff, as it has an elevator and suitable facilities to live there for extended periods.
• The three of them spoke with Sheriff Oku about what happened to Nerva. The group decided to tell the lie that Nerva had been killed in action. Oku picked up on the lie, but let it go, as she didn't think there was much she could do. Oku revealed that she had a kobold prisoner, but that he was unhelpful in his questioning.
• Del was suspicious that the Raske family had something to do with Nerva and Otho--seeing as they had the foresight to build this bunker. The bunker was built 10 years ago.
• The origins of Nerva's new found powers were called into question, but no answers were given.
• Nerva's PDA had no information on it. Simply two phone numbers: Otho and the Watchdog.
• Trajan and Tommik worked all night to translate the journals of Nerva and Otho. With this information, Oku had enough evidence to detain the Raske family for questioning about their involvement in the Red Wolves. It also provided additional insight into the whole situation with Nerva, Otho, and their father Nero.
• Oku paid the group for their services, and Tommik gave them a magical whistle as a gift.
• Oku sent her guards to investigate Ranger's home, the summer home where Nerva was captured, and the town itself to make sure it was safe.
• Managirl bought some new clothes from the tailor, and commissioned him to make a new costume for her.

• The party rested...
• Everyone was much better off in the morning except for Roan who had a wrenched back and Kembu who had a gashed thigh.
• Managirl, Del, and Trajan had a small discussion about Nerva. Then, the trio agreed to speak to Sheriff Oku one last time before leaving Raske.
• Kembu woke up to Klein staring at him...
• The two spoke about Kembu's master: Borai. It seems Klein had a few stories about him. She also revealed that Kembu's likeness is used in an anime / manga story called Himawari. The story is about a beautiful ronin who smells like wildflowers.
• Roan met with Sheriff Oku, and had a talk with her...
• Roan learned that Sheriff Oku is aware that Nerva is alive. She wants him dead, but can't push the issue. She revealed that Genesis people (led by ROGUE agent Lukas Baer) came here in February and took a deva traveler with them back to Babylon by the name of Angel. Roan said that if Nerva ever escaped and came back to Raske, to call him.

New Items:

• 100 GP each. [Payment from Oku.]
• Guardian's Whistle (Level 4 Uncommon, Wondrous Item)
  This tin whistle is covered with runes that look like they have been crudely scratched into its surface.
  -Utility Power (Teleportation) Daily (Move Action)
  --Effect: Close burst 10 (one ally in the burst). The target teleports to an unoccupied square adjacent to you.

Lost Items:

• Nerva's PDA. [Oku took it as evidence.]
• Nerva's wallet. [Oku took it as evidence.]
• Nerva and Otho's Journals. [Tommik took them to translate.]

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Second Job: Escort Dr. Klein to Quiet Mountain to investigate the mana reactor there.
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.

Session 9: The Ghost of Raske (Part 5)

Key Points:

• The battle at the burning inn waged on...
• Roan arrived on the battlefield, scoring several kills against animated suits of armor. These kills were then, usually, claimed by Trajan (much to Roan's anger).
• Trajan himself was an impressive force, killing several fire elementals, and wrestling with a suit of animated armor in order to clear a path for Kembu. Trajan seems a different force in combat, hints of an ancient ancestry showing through.
• Kembu, injured severely, pushed through the pain and ensured that a man and a woman escaped from the inn unharmed. He has killed several fire elementals, and attempted to rescue Rukkevinta.
• Managirl, Del, and all her animals did battle with a skeleton mage on the second floor. The skeleton mage had some powerful magic, taking down Managirl at one point and leaving the girl with a concussion. Roan eventually came to their aid, but in the end, the kill belonged to Managirl. Through their efforts, a little girl was saved.
• Rukkevinta had been discovered wearing her Red Wolves costume, and also with her guts ripped out. Much to the dismay of many of the party members, she was dead, and the latest victim of Nerva.
• The group searched the inn for other survivors. Trajan found a couple knocked unconscious, while Del found eight people who had been hiding and trapped in the cellar.

• The fire at the inn was put out thanks to the efforts of Del's grasping tides and the makeshift firetruck Klein helped put together. In the aftermath, several things were clear...
• Nerva was the cause of the inn at the fire.
• Kembu, Roan, and Managirl all had injuries after the conflict. Some were more severe than others.
• Klein briefly checked on Roan while Del checked on Kembu. The two offered their aid and medical expertise in very different ways.
• Roan revealed to the group that he had caught Nerva's trail and chased him through the village, but it ended when Nerva blew up a house by using the gas oven.
• Managirl and Trajan both sensed a vibration in the air, a message left to them from Nerva. In it, Nerva demanded that the group hand over the remaining Red Wolves, or he would raze and burn this town to the ground with a dragon. After hearing this, Trajan swore he would kill Nerva if he had to in order to stop the man.

• The party ventured to the site of the explosion where Roan had last seen Nerva. From there, they followed the trail using a combination of investigative work from Del and Klein's mana radiation detector (used by Managirl).
• Trajan followed behind the girls on foot, while Kembu and Roan followed in the truck. Before leaving, Kembu advised Sheriff Oku to evacuate the town, and asked Klein to prepare for the worst case scenario.

•  The trail ended at an estate located ten minutes outside of town. The party, then, approached the building from different sides in order to ambush Nerva, who was detected inside.
• With a small group of animated armors, Nerva was hiding out here until the drop off time.
• Roan took a shot, but much to his dismay, he had killed an animated armor, but not Nerva.
• Trajan fearlessly leaped into the house, where Nerva proceeded to beat the shit out of him. In seconds, Nerva had left Trajan dying on the floor.
• Managirl came to Trajan's aid, attacking Nerva. Roan also took some shots at Nerva.
• Del, Kembu, and all the animals came in through another entrance, where they did battle with several suits of armor.
• Angered by Roan, the wounded Nerva attempted to take out the sniper. He would knock the sniper into dying in the end, but not without suffering several wounding shots.
• Trajan was revived by Del, and with the help of Managirl, Trajan dispatched the remaining animus inside the estate.
• When cornered and near death, Nerva summoned a terrible elder dragon. For all intents and purposes, this thing seemed real. It was not as majestic as in the stories, instead, something terrible and corrupt (a cancer dragon).
• Ballsy as hell, Managirl attempted to shoot around the dragon at Nerva at the request of Del. Her attack was successful, and she knocked Nerva into dying.
• The dragon seemed to find this amusing, and dissipated after Nerva was defeated.

• In the aftermath...
• Del revived Roan with some magic, even as Managirl attempted to get a 'cute' picture of Roan and Nerva unconscious.
• Del, with a lot of effort, managed to stabilize Nerva and keep him from dieing. 
• Roan drew a gun on Nerva, then, and was going to finish him off. Del and Trajan argued against it.
• Roan, in the end, unhappily relented, but swore that only bad things could come from this. Kembu had a discussion with Roan off to the side. The two expressed opinions back and forth, and in the end, Roan's frustration and tension only grew.
• Managirl looted Nerva. Hollar.

New Items:

• Nerva's PDA.
• Nerva's wallet (state identification card, 5 GP, expired coupon, photo of Nerva and Otho, sandwich shop rewards card, business card for the Lucky Cat Inn.)
• Ring of Dragons (Level 7 Rare, Ring)
  This simple brass ring looks like a dragon circling to bite its own tail.
  Properties:
  -You can speak, read, and write Draconic.
  -You gain telepathy that works within line of sight, but only to converse with dragons.
  -Evil dragons within a day's travel know the direction and distance to the ring.
  -Power (Illusion) Daily (Standard Action)
  --Effect: The illusion of a dragon of up to Gargantuan size appears in an unoccupied space within 40 squares of you. It can make sounds and can move within its space. Each of its defenses is 10. The illusion lasts until the end of your next turn, until an attack hits it, or until a creature touches it or enters its space. An Insight check (DC 20 + one-half your level) allows a creature to determine that the image is an illusion.
  --Sustain Minor: The image persists until the end of your next turn, and you move it up to 10 squares.)

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Second Job: Escort Dr. Klein to Quiet Mountain to investigate the mana reactor there.
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.

Session 8: The Ghost of Raske (Part 4)

Key Points:

• Trajan interrogated the trio of kobolds at the cabin...
• He learned that the kobolds serve Nerva. Nerva had been here, staying at the cabin, but fled when the group arrived.
• Nerva's pattern is as follows: sleep in the morning, plan in the evening, hunt at night.
• He learned that Nerva originally came from Quiet Mountain, stays at a roadside motel between there and Raske, and has a couple of other hiding spots in the manors surrounding Raske.
• He learned that Nerva used to be a normal person, but one time, he awoke and spoke of a dream about dragon. From that day forward, he was granted powers like teleporation, invisibility, fire magic, and a poisonous breath weapon.
• The kobolds have no real recollection of how they came to meet Nerva. Simply, they awoke one day, and knew they were to serve him.
• When asked of Nerva's father, the kobolds told lies to Trajan.
• The kobolds made a blood pact with Trajan, swearing to serve him. The kobolds were allowed to go free.
• Night fell upon the group, and on their way back to Raske, the group was ambushed...
•  The fire mephit from the cabin, with a small army of insectoid and reptilian hybrids, surprised the group in hopes of killing them. Nerva simply hoped that they would slow down the group long enough...
• Managirl and Del seemed to make a good tag team, as the combination of their area burst magic seemed effective.
• Roan had trouble from the get going, being attacked by an ankheg, and twisting his ankle badly in the escape from it.
• Kembu (being advised by Klein), ended up battling and ultimatly killing the ankheg.
• Roan's sniper shot provided the opening needed on the Mephit, which Del scored the killing blow on, for revenge against the creature harming Kiki.
•  Roan ended up staying behind from the rest of the group, as his twisted ankle would only slow them down.
• Kembu, Trajan, Managirl, and Del arrived in Raske. There, they discovered that the inn had been set on fire.
• Kembu ordered Klein to stay behind with the workers at the dock, who were attempting to get some kind of mana-tech device with a hose working to help put out the fire.
• At the inn, the group learned from Sheriff Oku that there was a little girl, a woman, and a man trapped inside, along with the halfling innkeeper (Rukkevinta).
• The inn seemed to be infested with a number of creatures. Kobold slingers, fire elementals, animated suits of armors, and even a skeleton mage.
• Kembu beheaded a kobold slinger, and got the other one to surrender afterwards. It was arrested by Oku.
• Trajan helped Kembu battle the fire elementals outside the inn's main entrance.
• Managirl and Del, with Managirl's magic, flew up to the second floor where they discovered that a little girl was trapped in a room. However, between the girl and MG/Del was an animated suit of armor and a fire elemental. After summoning a frog spirit, Del and MG did battle with the suit of armor and the fire elemental. The suit of armor got in a critical hit on MG, but the pair managed to clear the hallway.
• Kembu rushed into the inn, but discovered that a suit of armor was waiting for him. The animated creature smashed into him, the critical hit knocking Kembu into a dying state. It crushed his hip in the process.
• Del provided support from the second floor to Trajan and Kembu, and Kembu was ultimatly revived by Trajan using a healing pill on him. Kembu, in a lot of pain, charged into the inn to continue battling fire elementals and to save the man and woman he saw hiding in the bar room.
• Managirl went into the room to save the little girl, but was confronted with a skeleton mage.
•  Roan came into town, behind the group, by going along the main road. Upon arriving at the inn, he had a nice vantage point that let him see something the others didn't. Escaping from the back entrance of the inn was the figure (Nerva) cloaked in ash and smoke.
• Roan wasted no time, taking several shots at Nerva who fled. Roan scored a critical hit, which provided a blood trail for Roan to follow.
• Roan chased Nerva all the way across town, taking a few pot shots at him when he could. More and more, Nerva became wounded and desperate.
• Nerva teleported into an empty house, and began searching for something that could help him against Roan.
• Roan discovered him, and managed to sneak in to line up a perfect shot.
• Roan bloodied Nerva, who in his desperation, cut the gas line to the house, and blew it up.
• Roan managed to escape in time (only after taking another shot at Nerva), but the force of the explosion severely wounded Roan. After the explosion of the house, Nerva couldn't be found by Roan.

New Items:

• Fire Mephit Essence [Managirl]
• Ankheg Samples [Klein]

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Second Job: Escort Dr. Klein to Quiet Mountain to investigate the mana reactor there.
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.
• Resolve the conflict in Raske. (Ghost, Red Wolves, etc.)

Session 7: The Ghost of Raske (Part 3)

Key Points:

• As the group traveled away from the docks, they ran into Tommik.
• Tommik was riling up the town, rambling on about the ghost and the dragon's wrath.
• Trajan calmed the crowds and dispersed the crowd and guards. Upon talking to Tommik, he learned that the gnome had stolen a journal from the ghost, and in it, mentioned Otho's brother, Nerva.

• Kembu learned that Del and Klein went to the sheriff's office to take care of Igam, the dwarven woman who caught a disease.
• Del discovered that Igam was bad off, but she gave directions to Sheriff Oku on how to nurse her back to health.

• Kembu, Roan, Managirl, and Del discussed with Sheriff Oku about the information they had acquired so far.
• Kembu suggested that Oku arrange for all the suspected Red Wolves to be gathered under one roof for protection.
• Oku mentioned that the Red Wolves first appeared fifteen years ago, right around the time where the Raske Patriarch was abandoned by his wife.
• Tommik himself arrived about twelve years ago.
• Oku mentioned that a tracker by the name of Ranger lived out in the woods, and he might be able to help the group.
• Kembu asked Klein to come up with a way to trace the mana of the Ghost.
• Calling it child's play, Klein did just that.

•  Following the trail, with a couple hours worth of walking, the group ended up at a cabin in the woods next to a stream.
• In the outhouse, Trajan discovered a golden retriever that was killed and hung. It had bites taken out of it, and strips of flesh missing. Trajan noticed that something seemed to be living down in the hole of poop that the outhouse had, but it quickly fled when the door was opened.
• Roan discovered a small reptilian creature (a kobold) spying on the group, and he knocked it unconscious with a rubber bullet.
• Kembu discovered the door to the cabin was trapped, and disabled it the only one he knew: with a sword.
• Inside the cabin, the group discovered that the walls had been written on in draconic. On it, it revealed the names of the Red Wolves: Jemos, Cindra, Knute, Igam, Rukkevinta. It also promised that Raske would burn.

• As the group looked over the kobold Roan had captured, Trajan was enthralled with the writing on the wall. Soon, he discovered he was not alone, being ambushed by a fire mephit  that was the servant of Nerva.
• The mephit attempted to burn the cabin down, and with it, any evidence linking to Nerva.
• The group battled ferocious dragon-like elementals as well as hordes of kobolds. Most of the kobolds were scared away, but two of them were captured by the group. All the dragon-like elementals were killed, exploding into magma when slain.
• Managirl found the arcane tome of Nerva inside the house before the mephit could burn it, but unfortunately, she could not rescue the deceased body of Ranger.
• Kembu tried to engage the mephit, but she managed to push a bookcase on him, and escape up the chimney in the confusion.
• Managirl helped Kembu get out, and the group managed to get out of the cabin while it burned to the ground.

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Second Job: Escort Dr. Klein to Quiet Mountain to investigate the mana reactor there.
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.
• Resolve the conflict in Raske. (Ghost, Red Wolves, etc.)

Session 6: The Ghost of Raske (Part 2)

Key Points:

• The group met the next morning (after a cramped night of rest) for breakfast.
• They filled in Dr. Klein about the events with the Ghost of Raske. She offered her assistance in the matter, if only so they could be done and out of here.
• Sheriff Oku showed up to discuss the ghost situation with the group.
• The group noticed that the halfling innkeeper was eavesdropping on them.
• She told the group what she knew of the Red Wolves. There were five of them, four now. Male and female, not sure on what the ratio is. One is really tall, 7'0. Another was small, like a kid or a gnome. Another was squat like a dwarf. The last is a lady with a raspy voice.
• Trajan had a word with Rukkevinta. So did Roan. 
• Oku gave the group leads: the dock workers (dwarves, gnomes, halflings), Tommik, Kador, and Emorin. 
• The group, after a lead from Roan, decided to pursue a lead with the Raske family.
•  Del and Klein stayed behind, as Del still felt sick from the infection sustained from the Ghost.
• Along the way to Raske Manor, the group spotted an empty iron cage in the middle of one of the streets. 
• At the docks, Managirl convinced a fisherman to lend the group their raft for the day. 
• At the estates, the group split up! ... Oh dear.
•  Managirl broke into Raske Manor, where she found a hidden compartment in a bedroom closest (belonging to a married couple). Inside, she found a red cloak and a wolf mask.
• Trajan purchased some illegally smuggled goods from the gardener, while chatting him up. The gardener revealed that the head of the Raske family had his wife leave him 15 years ago to an outsider (a Genesis businessman). The Raske Patriarch took it hard, and so did his daughter. The Raske family plans to hold a party in a day or two.
• Kembu and Roan interviewed Knute, the bodyguard to the Raske family. He is prejudiced to otusiders and seemed very uncooperative, but he was interested in the group taking care of the ghost. He identified Rukkevinta, Igam, Elenka, and Emorin as the members of the Red Wolves.
• Kembu didn't believe Emorin was one of them, instead, that Knute was covering for himself.
• The group discussed their findings on their raft ride back to town. The next plan is to talk to Sheriff Oku.

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Second Job: Escort Dr. Klein to Quiet Mountain to investigate the mana reactor there.
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.
• Catch the murderer ("ghost") of Raske?
• Bring the Red Wolves to justice?